October 8 and 9 By Caroline Shannon-Karasik An anniversary is a thing of certain importance. For a couple, 50 years marks a milestone of memories and time spent together. When a teacher achieves academic tenure, he has earned permanence in his respective position. And when Dayton Contemporary Dance Company’s (DCDC) Artistic Director Debbie Blunden-Diggs has […]

“Legend & Lore” is the theme of Musica!’s 19th season in Dayton By Caroline Shannon-Karasik If you were a kid of the 1960s, then “music” meant an introduction to rockabilly sensation Elvis Presley and the absolute hysteria surrounding the invasion of British rock band, the Beatles. And what musical depiction of the ‘60s would be […]

Surprising information about how your skin is affected by your everyday life By Caroline Shannon-Karasik I’m what people call fair. What they mean is, “Girl, why don’t you get a tan?” I’ve never been one of those people who walk away with a nice sun-kissed glow from a day at the beach. In fact, I’m […]

How the annual United States Air Force Marathon encourages both local and out-of-state runners By Caroline Shannon-Karasik Picture life at age 65. What do you see? Stereotypes aside (hello, dentures and prune juice!), most people will say they will at least be retired, maybe traveling, kicking back and, well, slowing down a bit. But for Sid […]

A new kind of fitness regime at Femme Fatale By Caroline Shannon-Karasik It’s 7:30 on a Thursday night and I’m all tied up. My wrists are bound and my foot harnessed by a simple, soft piece of red silk. This is going to be interesting. I watch as our instructor, Cassie Guard, climbs her way […]

Sure it’s a salad, but how healthy is it … really? By Caroline Shannon-Karasik I love food. I love cooking and baking and, naturally, eating. And as someone who likes to try new recipes, the dishes I make can range from kind of complicated to you’re-going-to-need-three-hours-to-pull-this-one-off complicated. But I also love simple dishes, ones that […]

Muse Machine performs Tonight as 2011 summer concert By Caroline Shannon-Karasik The musical West Side Story is a complicated one — a challenge for any company to take on, let alone one whose youngest performer is a 6-year-old. But it’s a challenge to which the members of Dayton’s Muse Machine, a nationally recognized arts education […]

Local theatres go outdoors and stay in with lineup of summertime musicals By Caroline Shannon-Karasik When David Brush walks down Fifth Street in the Historic Oregon District, he takes note of a few things: One of his favorite restaurants for ethnic food: Thai 9. The Color of Energy Gallery that sits just around the corner […]

A look at the struggle for arts funding in Ohio By Caroline Shannon-Karasik In a nation where a nicely padded savings and retirement are an all-too-often distant memory, stealing time away to indulge a “life passion” is a far off dream for many. And it’s for that very reason that “logic” would tell he who […]

Suffering from the dreaded insomnia? Try these ‘swinging’ methods By Caroline Shannon-Karasik It’s 3:13 a.m. and I’m awake. I’ve already, unwillingly so, opened my eyes at 12:34 a.m. and 2:26 a.m. As it is, I had a hard time falling asleep because I couldn’t get my mind to stop racing, moving through to-do lists things […]